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Pixar’s Gatto Footage Wows With Painterly Cat in Venice

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At last year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Pixar chief Pete Docter announced “Gatto,” an original film from Enrico Casarosa, who made “Luca” and one of the studio’s all-time great shorts “La Luna.”

This year, Casarosa returned (in person) for the first time in 14 years to debut brand new footage from the movie, which hits theaters on March 5, 2027. And we must say the footage was the cat’s pajamas.

“Gatto,” Casarosa explained, was inspired by the sunken Italian city of Venice. There used to be tons of stray cats prowling the crisscrossing canals and corridors that make up the city. Casarosa wondered where they went and how they conducted their business. “What was their life like? They seemed to rule the place,” Casarosa said. He wanted to make a movie about “the secret world of Venice cats.” So he did.

The main character of “Gatto” is a black cat named Nero, voiced by Mark Ruffalo. “Everyone is superstitious and they think he’s bad luck,” Casarosa said of the main character. Nero is indebted to a local cat mob boss named Rocco (Lawrence Fishburne), who oversees a colorful group of hench-cats, who do Rocco’s bidding – primarily stealing artwork. But not just any artwork. No, it has to be cat artwork. Paintings, frescoes, statues of cats.

Nero becomes Rocco’s favorite thief because he’s able to sneak into places that other cats can’t, because people are superstitious and run away from him. But Nero wants to leave the criminal cat underworld. They have to make a deal for one last job, with Rocco tasking Nero to steal a violin with a cat-shaped head from Maya, a young street musician.

One bit of test animation showed Nero attempting to go to Rocco’s lair. A cat meets him at a door and asks Nero for the password. Nero meows in a really hilarious way. Also, Casarosa pointed out, these cats are “really into disco.”

A more fully animated scene showed Nero interacting with a union labor advocate pigeon named Saverio (voiced by Casarosa himself), with Saverio attempting to help Nero steal the violin. Of course it goes sideways almost immediately. Another clip, set directly after the first, shows Maya capturing Nero in a box. She takes him home and he is fussy, eventually getting out of the box and nearly getting the violin out the window, before he decides to play cute and pretend to be a housecat. He’s got to get closer to the violin and needs more time.

The third – and by far most beautiful – clip of the three showed Maya taking Nero on a gondola. He seems nervous about the water (hey, cats only have so many lives) but found himself enraptured by a nearby opera. Maya and Nero sit in the boat, listening, watching the reflections from the opera house dance in the canal water below. It is really stunning and so sweet.

This scene, Casarosa said, was “the heart of the movie.” The two characters are “like two black cats.” And the central conflict hinges on an essential question – “Will he steal the violin or risk his life to defy Rocco?”

After showing off the footage, Casarosa talked about the technical and artistic side of “Gatto.” He described “Gatto” as carrying “an immersive, expressive painterly look.” And he’s right. The movie looks unlike any other Pixar movie and any other animated movie, really. Each environment and character is made up of brush strokes, with strong linework and a commitment to emulating the human hand of the artists behind “Gatto.”

Casarosa explained how they made the movie feel so unique, with a combination of linework, what he called “multiple limbs” when the cat is in motion, smears between motions and reflections in the water, which evoke watercolor and simpler brushstrokes. Everywhere in “Gatto” there is atmosphere. You can sense the history of the city in every frame.

About 50% of “Gatto,” Casarosa said, is in animation, meaning they have quite a long way to go before next spring. But they’ll get there, even if it uses up all of their nine lives.

To conclude, Casarosa said “Gatto” has “a lot of heart, a lot of humor and a lot of cats.”

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Prime Video’s Obsessed Fest Recap: Highlights, Connections & More

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Prime Video’s Obsessed Fest fan event at nya Studios in Los Angeles was for the fangirls, and it’s evident that the streamer has begun to create its own ecosystem of romance, summer settings, book adaptations, coming of age stories and returning stars for various projects.

Overcompensating writer, star and creator Benito Skinner kicked off the lineup of panels both with a small introduction and then as a panelist for his show, which has a second season in the works. He was joined by his costars Mary Beth Barone, Wally Baram and Owen Thiele.

“We can embrace our talent, and it is a talent of watching eight to 12 episodes in one sitting,” Skinner said in his opening remarks. “Did y’all watch Overcompensating in one sitting? Good. And you can wear a diaper if necessary, I think that’s cool. We’ve all been there.”

Later on during the “Over It, Into It”panel discussing his show, Skinner reminisced on one of his favorite scenes in season one which involves him finding out some disappointing news that allows him to come out to Carmen (Baram).

“I wrote Carmen as an ode to the women that have created safe spaces for queer people until they can relly find people like the character of George,” he said, also noting that he named her after his godmother, Carmen, who passed away in college before he could come out to her. “That day on set, I just had this feeling of, we’ve nailed something, which is a first heartbreak and a friend that’s there for you. Women have created such amazing safe spaces for queer people forever.”

RELATED: ‘Overcompensating’s Benito Skinner Teases Zedd Cameo In Season 2 Spring Break Episode “Inspired By Fyre Festival”

The casts and showrunners of recent hit shows Off Campus, Every Year After and Maxton Hall were in attendance along with upcoming titles including Hello Sunshine’s Legally Blonde prequel Elle as well as a Jenny Han reunion of sorts for The Devil’s Mouth, which stars Gavin Casalegno (The Summer I Turned Pretty) and Lana Condor (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, XO Kitty). The Jeff Wadlow survival thriller, which also stars Kathryn Newton, is a co-production with Lionsgate and one of the projects not based on a book.

This comes a day after Amazon executives took a victory lap for the success of these YA shows. Peter Friedlander, Head of TV, Amazon MGM Studios said there was a halo effect from Off Campus on Every Year After. “One success begets another,” he said.

Events, meet and greets, panels and activations were divided into the three main categories of film and tv, book adaptations (with author signings) and musical experiences — plugging Amazon Music as their streaming service branch. There was also a red carpet with most of the talent in the packed lineup.

Your Fault: London star Asha Banks, whose song, “Too Busy Missing You” plays in season one of Off Campus, called the event an opportunity to “meet all of the other casts and cross pollinate and say hi in the multiverse of Prime Video” ahead of a performance of her song. Banks has A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder season three coming to Netflix sooner rather than later because they filmed the second and third season back to back, just as the Your Fault: London and Our Fault: London have been shot closely together.

Off Campus is in the thick of production on its second season, which received an early renewal ahead of the launch of season one, and Every Year After was officially renewed for a second season, which will follow Charlie’s (Michael Bradway) novel and love story, One Golden Summer. On the carpet, Matt Cornett, who plays the younger brother Sam Florek in Every Year After, expressed what he would hope to see for Charlie in a season two before the renewal news broke, calling attention to “redemption” and a “softer side” of the older Florek brother.

For those deep in the Prime Video cinematic universe, it also might be worth noting that Cornett (High School Musical: The Musical: The Series) and Gavin Casalegno, who portrays Jeremiah Fisher another younger summer brother — in The Summer I Turned Pretty, once lived together as roommates.

Every Summer After author Carley Fortune, whose book inspired Every Year After was also present, as were Red White And Royal Blue author Casey McQuiston, The Last Sunrise author Anna Todd, Your Fault: London and Drawn Together (Enfrentados: Marfil) author Mercedes Ron, who has a first-look deal with Amazon MGM Studios, to promote their various film adaptations.

RELATED: Everything We Know About The ‘Red, White And Royal Blue’ Sequel So Far

Panels were divided into categories such as “Passport Stamped” which focused on projects like Your Fault: London, Drawn Together, The Last Sunrise and Maxton Hall, all of which had cast in attendance.

The authors participated in a “Page to Screen Panel,” and the “Dear Book Boyfriends” panel later brought out Your Fault: London star Matthew Broome and Maxton Hall star Damian Hardung once more to sit and chat with Every Year After’s Matt Cornett and Michael Bradway as well as Off Campus’ Belmont Cameli and Stephen Kalyn — who will take the reins as romantic lead from Cameli in the show’s second season.

Elle Woods herself, Lexi Minetree, represented the next project in the summer lineup, Elle season one, which arrives July 1 right before the holiday weekend. Elle has also been renewed for a second season far in advance. On the red carpet, Minetree teased working with Never Have I Ever star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan in season two, claiming the pair probably improvised the most together.

RELATED: Everything We Know About Prime Video’s ‘Legally Blonde’ Prequel Series ‘Elle’

Back to book adaptations for a moment, The Love Hypothesis film stars Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman were also in attendance to talk their upcoming romantic comedy, which arrives on the streamer Sept. 23, and to unveil the teaser trailer.

Still another upcoming project for Prime Video that fall in the Venn diagram of YA content, book adaptations, Canadian settings and romance includes Megan Park’s (My Old Ass) Sterling Point, which takes place on a mysterious island in Canada not unlike that of Beechwood Island in We Were Liars. A teaser sneak peek scene of Ella Rubin’s Annie and Amélie Hoeferle’s Ramona.

We Were Liars, based on the bestselling novel by E. Lockhart, is currently in production on its second season, but unlike with Off Campus, the cast didn’t take a break from filming in Nova Scotia, Canada, which serves as the real life setting for Beechwood. And don’t get Beechwood Island confused for Barry’s Bay, the setting for Every Year After, also in Canada, which Prime Video has opted to return to as well. Every Year After has thus far shot in Bowen Island, British Columbia. Off Campus shoots in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Canadian connections can be found in Off Campus and Every Summer After authors, both of whom hail from the country. Overcompensating season 2 is filming in Toronto.

The streamer has some plans for projects in the vein of Obsess Fest past summertime, such as the Christopher Briney and Michelle Randolph-starring Clashing Through the Snow. Maxton Hall: The World Between Us will return for its third and final season in December 2026, as announced by Damian Hardung, who plays James M. Beaufort in the series.

RELATED: Prime Video Teases Summer Slate Of YA Originals, Book Adaptations & More From ‘The Love Hypothesis’ To ‘Clashing Through The Snow’

While Deadline spoke to a majority of the talent present at Obsessed Fest, a carpet was held Friday night with other outlets and influencers in a less hectic setting for interviews.

Allie Hayes (Mika Abdalla) in OFF CAMPUS

To bring it all home, musically, Jennifer Lopez made a surprise appearance to perform “On the Floor,” which had a moment in season one of Off Campus with Allie Hayes (Mika Abdalla). The synergy does not end there, because JLo’s This Is Me Now: A Love Story (2024) was a Prime Video project and streams there exclusively. The Beaches, whose song “Edge of the Earth” also took off from its feature in the hockey romance show, followed with an acoustic set, though it could be argued that JLo opened for The Beaches.

RELATED: Prime Video Teases Summer Slate Of YA Originals, Book Adaptations & More From ‘The Love Hypothesis’ To ‘Clashing Through The Snow’

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Christopher Nolan On Convincing Ryan Coogler To Film ‘Sinners’ On Imax

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Ever the Imax advocate, Christopher Nolan recalled introducing Ryan Coogler to the high-res format.

The 2x Oscar winner recently noted that he assured Coogler it “wasn’t crazy” using Imax to film his 2025 film Sinners, which earned Autumn Durald Arkapaw the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

“Ryan called me before he committed to Imax,” he told The New York Times. “I think Dunkirk was the first time I dragged him to a screening of an original-made film print of Imax. I love to show filmmakers the potential of the format.

“So he called me when he was prepping, but really I think he was sort of looking for someone to tell him it wasn’t crazy to shoot his vampire film that way. I was like, no, I’d love to see that,” added Nolan.

Nolan’s The Odyssey has become the first film to be shot entirely with Imax cameras. He previously used Imax in making Oppenheimer (2023), Tenet (2020), Dunkirk (2017), Interstellar (2014), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Inception (2010) and The Dark Knight (2008).

Delroy Lindo, Michael B. Jordan and director Ryan Coogler on the set of ‘Sinners’ (2025) (Eli Ade/Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection)

“One of the great satisfactions of my career has been being part of an evolutionary process of a [filmmaking] system,” said Nolan of The Odyssey, premiering July 17. “My excitement for having finished the film entirely in Imax is: what other filmmakers might want to do that. I just want to go see somebody else’s film when they do it this way.”

An adaptation of one of the first stories in human history, The Odyssey follows Odysseus (Matt Damon) through the incredible trials and mythical encounters he faces on his decade-long journey home to wife Penelope after the Trojan War.

The film also stars Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, Bill Irwin, Samantha Morton, Jesse Garcia, Will Yun Lee, Rafi Gavron, Shiloh Fernandez, Mia Goth and more.

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Rob Lowe Reveals ‘St. Elmo’s Fire’ Sequel Script Is In Works

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More than 40 years later, Rob Lowe and friends are getting closer to reigniting St. Elmo’s Fire with a long-awaited sequel.

The 6x Golden Globe nominee, who has previously noted there’s interest in a follow-up, recently revealed that the team is “working on” a script, which they want to get just right.

“I’m trying to get it done, but I’m excited,” he said on The Kelly Clarkson Show. “I think the reason that St. Elmo’s continues to mean a lot to people is because it’s such a great snapshot of your 20s.”

Lowe added, “Everyone wants to do it. We just need to get the script right, and that’s what we’re working on.”

Back in 2024, Lowe told Entertainment Tonight that the sequel is in “very early stages” after he “met with the studio.” He noted that the documentary “only added to the excitement around” the film and a potential sequel.

NBC was previously developing a St. Elmo’s Fire series in 2019, which was set to be a modernized take on the original but never materialized.

The original Joel Schumacher film starred Lowe, Demi Moore, Andie MacDowell, Andrew McCarthy, Ally Sheedy, Mare Winningham, Judd Nelson and Emilio Estevez as a group of recent college graduates who struggle with adulthood as the venture into the world.

The cast reunited to appear in McCarthy’s 2024 documentary Brats, revisiting the cultural phenomenon known as the Brat Pack, the young actors who frequently appeared together in teen coming-of-age films of the ’80s.

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